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(No Model.)

, J. C. C. FLETCHER.

l A GIGAR BOX. 9

No. 269,191. Patented Deo.19, 1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. O. FLETCHER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CIGAR-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,191, dated December 19, 1882.

' Applica-rimmed May 10,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, J oHN C. C. FLETCHER, a subject of the Queen of England, residing in the city of New York, county ofNew York, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar-Boxes, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The obj-ect of this invention is to provide a cigar-box with a cover which can be removed from the body of the box for the purpose of imprinting special designs, trade-marks, or other similar'matter thereon and over the entire ordinary printing-field of the same, and which, when applied to the body, will not obstruct the ready removal therefrom of' cigars by the retailer, who by law is required to sell from the original package.

It is customary fortwholesalers to imprint,

upon the lids of cigar-boxes the words manufactured expressly for"1 and the name of their customer,with or without other designs or matter, which occupies substantially the entire printing-field-that is, the space unoccupied by the usual binding upon the sides and ends of the upper surface of the cover, and in order to supply the trade, delays occur in that the quantity and purchaser of the goods must be known before the covers of the boxes can be so imprinted, and as in ordinary hingedcover boxes said covers cannot practically be removed, the boxes must be made and the goods packed after being ordered, and hence shipment of an order must await theperformance of this work; and to print the covers of the usual construction of boxes the flexible textile hinge and the binding must be removed either from the cover or body along the hingeline, thus necessitating rebinding the box and regluing the hinge thereto, and this must be followed by a delay snflicient for the glue to harden, as no other fastening is used on the hinge-line in said usual construction of boxes.

Heretofore the lids of packing-boxes have been divided into two covering-sections hinged to each other, one of which has been secured to a side and to the two end walls; but such construction was not intended as a removable cover, and is not adapted to the purposes in view, because the joint or hinge-line passes directly through and completely across the usual printing-Iield; and, furthermore, the

Iix'ed section obstructs the removal of cigars from the box, in that if care is not used the ends of the cigars are frequently broken or injured by comingin contact with the projecting edges of said fixed section.

By my invention these objections are overcome, and the covers of the boxes of a lot of cigars sold can be removed, printed, and inxmediately replaced without delay or injury to the binding or hinge, and this by a construction which does not impede the removal of the cigars by the retailer.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perwith my invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof.

Like letters refer to like partsin both gures.

A represents the body of the box, and B the cover. The former is constructed in the usual manner. The latter-Tthat is, the cover-coni prises and consists of the coverproper, B, and an attaching-strip, b, of a width equal -to that of the edge of the side or wall of the box, to which it is secured by the nails or screwsd, and this strip and the cover are connected to each other by an ordinary exible hinge, c, of textile material.

It is readily seen that by withdrawing the nails or screws the cover is removed without displacing the hinge or mutilating the usualornamental bordering of the cover or box, and that the cover with the strip attached can be readily passed through a printing-machine and immediately replaced upon the box.

Having described my invention, its advantages and operation, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A cigar-box provided with a cover hinged to an attaching-strip., the inner edge of which is Hush with the inner surface of the wall of the box to which it is removably attached, whereby the printing-field ofthe cover is unobstructed, the cover can be removed without injury to the hinge, and complete access is had to the interior of the box, substantially as'shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. JOHN O. O..FLETCHER. Witnesses:

T. H. PALMER, JAs. A. Hover.

-spective of a box constructed in accordance 

